Redeeming The Golden Ticket To Life

[POV Bai Chang]

Last night we returned late. As we drove, we came across a park. I couldn't resist it, so we walked on wet grass under the night sky.

It was cool and relaxing.

Last night Qiang looked really tense after coming across Feling. He acted like a tightly wound wire. He didn't relax until we reached home.

Only then he heaved a sigh of relief.

(There seems something fishy about his whole reaction, all night long.)

He went to the office, while Cyrus is supposed to swing by his place today, to polish up his skills with the code.

I walked down to the dining table.

"Zhang Wei, what's for breakfast? I feel famished."

"It's congee for you. You need to rest your stomach. As you had a heavy dinner last night."

"Okay"

I accept it, as there is no going around him when it comes to health. Even during exercise or my work out schedules; he keeps a sharp lookout so that I do not overwork myself.

It sure is sweet of him.

"When is Brother Li Jie coming back?" I asked as I was served a bowl of congee by Zhang Wei.

"Soon," he replied and looked at me, "don't worry he is safe."

"I will take you at your word but remember, if you or Brother Li Jie or any of the commandos face any trouble, bring it to my notice at once. What you can't do, I might be able to help you with it."

I look into his eyes and hold them as I speak, "I am not weak. You can lean on me for support of any kind."

I decided to try something as I added, "It won't be like last time."

Zhang Wei visibly flinched. There was a sense of doom in his eyes, just for a second.

(It seems I am right to assume, that all of them i.e. Hu Qiang, Li Jie, Zhang Wei as well as the commandos all are connected to Bai Chang's accident as is Feling.)

I eat my congee in peace as Zhang Wei left me be.

He disappeared just like that, to work in some other part of the Villa.

****

I moved to the studios to work on my next collection.

As I walked into the studio, the unfinished dress on the mannequin welcomed me. It reminds me to start my work but first I need to do something.

I walked far into the studio. There is a carpet wall decor covering the entire wall at the backside of the studio on the first floor. I pushed the decor aside slightly and came face to face with a door. It is the door that leads to the basement.

While I was renovating the floor, I changed the lock system of the door. As beyond this door lies my deepest secret. The rejuvenating remains of my past life and the world that I lived in.

I scoop out the long-chain pendant that lies around my neck. At the end of the chain, the pendant is a small circular orb. It is semi-transparent. There is also an otherworldly glow on the orb.

The orb holds a little liquid nitrogen with an immortal cell holding a piece of my DNA. The orb is double-coated with diamond, inlaid with circuitry copper for electronic induction. And on the outside, it is covered in a slim layer of epoxy resin and over it, it is layered with glass.

The orb had a micro-optic fibre inserted from the long-chain on which it dangles. It serves a different purpose.

I place the orb on a small keyhole. The internal mechanism scans my DNA and finally, the door opens.

I actually turned my DNA into a 'Bio-Pendrive'. This world has developed the technology but it is still in its primitive prototype stage. So I used this method to develop my own security codes and countermeasures.

After the initialisation, I walked down the stairs to the basement.

What meets your eyes is separate clear chambers, each for a different purpose.

I walked towards the clear chamber in the right corner and pushed the door. The HEPA filter forms a counter-current air screen. It is to inhibit outside atmosphere to come in contact with the sterile atmosphere inside the clear room.

There is a high-pressure aerosol sanitization. I wear a clear overcoat and cover myself in basic Personal Protection Equipment. I walked inside.

There are various Titanium alloyed drawers in the room. I walked towards one of them and pulled out a syringe, a few disinfectants, gauze and blood bags.

Time to donate blood to my future self.

I am a person with a golden blood condition, apparently, I might go to active or passive war with my potential enemies. Which really is not a safe option if your blood is the rarest kind in the world. As you may just bleed to your death.

(Like literally, I may bleed to death. No pun intended.)

So in the normal blood bank, Red cells are stored in refrigerators at 6 degrees Celcius for up to 42 days. Platelets are stored at room temperature in agitators for up to five days. Plasma and cryo are frozen and stored in freezers for up to one year.

While here in my basement lab, due to advanced cryo technology the shelf life of transfusion blood increases from 42 days to 60 days. This gives me a buffer period of one month to prepare for the next batch of blood bags.

As for the expired blood bag i.e. particularly Red blood cells containing bags, I used them as experiment materials for my medical research.

They turn into samples. Used to test various advanced drugs and futuristic medicines that I generate here in the lab. They are for my use or emergency needs of my family and subordinates.

I labelled the respective units and left it on an agitator.

After that, I walk to another clear unit room. There are a few pharmaceutical setups as well as lab-scale fermentors and reactors. It is to produce respective drugs from the living organisms, i.e. antibiotics or specific collagen that helps produce degradable organic suture threads and medical gauze or specific first-aid requirements.

For the past few months, I have been working tirelessly to set up an emergency futuristic medical unit for my immediate use. To avoid death from these archaic medical practises.

I checked the reactor's temperature and pressure.

I looked into the antibiotic production process. I walked towards the organic section. Where the particular strains of microorganisms are being incubated. On the left side is an incubator maintained at 24 degrees Celsius. It is where bacterias are incubated.

On the right corner, another incubator is maintained at 130 degrees Celsius to grow extremophiles. They mostly produce organic collagen, when induced to reproduce under stressed conditions.

Monitoring their temperature I moved to take the test sample to test their growth conditions.

I lost my awareness of time as I worked in the basement lab.

My stomach growled.

'Huh.'

(I guess it's lunchtime.)

I quickly wrap up the work on hand. Then I look around the lab to check for safety measures and regulators.

Finally, I walked out of the basement.

'Yawn..' I stretch out my arm and move my legs to warm-up my body.

[Creak… Creak..]

My neck creaked as I moved my neck side to side.

I walked towards the Villa. 

'I am so hungry.'

I walk fast at the thought of food. But as I enter the main building Cyrus greets me at the front door.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," He greeted.

The boy is still sporting a sweatshirt and trouser. The only sign that he groomed himself to make himself presentable in his neatly combed hair.

"Welcome," I replied.

"Ma'am, the boss sent me to learn the security code to perfection for next week's contest.

"He did?" I paused, "Okay come inside let us have lunch before we get to work as I am famished. 

"Ma'am…"

"Don't you worry! Come in. No one will fire you from your job for having lunch with me."

"Yes ma'am."

We walked in together. Zhang Wei spotted us as we entered the living room.

"First eat then go to work," he said curtly.

(Oh boy! Am I in trouble again?)

I quickly sit down on the dining table. As Zhang Wei served our lunch, I observed this lanky European boy. As it is hard to picture him as a man. He exudes the carelessness of student life.

We had a quiet lunch and then I asked him to wait for me on the ground floor study room.

I commanded 'Jiffy' to bring my laptop from the study room on the third floor. 

As I walked into the study room I saw Cyrus, all ready to attend a lecture and take notes.

"This is not going to be a theoretical class. It would be entirely practical," I walked up to the armchair and made myself comfortable. 

As if right on cue 'Jiffy' entered the room with my laptop and other related accessories.

"OMG!! Is that an AI-Robo like from the film 'Terminator'?"